August 10, 2016
ITS, Inc., a leading U.S. IT solutions provider, contributes to many good causes in Maine and across the country. But as a player in today’s globally connected world, ITS also supports an organization that helps bring safe drinking water to impoverished residents thousands of miles away, in eastern Uganda: Wheels4Water (W4W).
W4W was founded in 2014 by two creative men and friends who are serious about bicycling and the worldwide water crisis. Each year, they hop on their bikes to raise funds and awareness to support the work of Lifewater International, its partner organization, to bring safe water and sanitation training to people in impoverished areas.
ITS’s involvement is grounded in personal connections to the cause. Justin Narducci, President/CEO of Lifewater, is a family member of ITS President/COO, Rob Connary. After Narducci reached out to explain their mission, Rob joined the over-the-road support team on the inaugural 2014 Wheels4Water ride, and has provided funding support each year since.
W4W also recruited Rob’s son, Ryan Connary, to the team in 2014. Ryan is the official mechanic for the organization’s annual fundraising rides, as well as riding his own bike. This year, he will lead the new Team Anywhere, which enables cyclists on the East coast to join the W4W cause.
Rob Connary’s commitment is based on a belief that “safe water and sanitation should be a reality for everyone. We applaud Lifewater’s ‘teach a man to fish’ approach to achieving this. They equip the citizens with the tools, means and passion to sustain their new wells into the future, including cultural education on the importance of maintaining their security and function.”
This year’s W4W goal is to change the lives of 1,000 Ugandans in the Kaliro District, which is located in the Eastern Region of Uganda. Safe water is only accessible to around half of all Kaliro citizens, and only 4% of households have access to hand-washing resources. Political turmoil and violence has ravaged infrastructure and government aid, preventing many efforts for substantial resource development.
“We’re in the business of solving problems at ITS, but some of the big global issues are daunting in their scope, they overwhelm people,” Connary noted. “But with the efforts of organizations like Wheels4Water, we think real progress can happen one pedal at a time, one mile at a time.”
Learn more about Wheels4Water at Wheels4Water.org and Lifewater at Lifewater.org.
Thanks for reading,
Rob Connary, President - COO
